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ADVISOR EDUCATIONAL SERIES

EQUIMAX®

PARTICIPATING WHOLE LIFE EXCELERATOR DEPOSIT OPTION

Designed in a Q&A format, this piece can help you understand the Excelerator Deposit Option (EDO) offered with Equimax Estate Builder® and Equimax Wealth Accumulator® participating whole life products. It explains how EDO works and provides some information on current administration rules. The information contained in this document applies to sales of Equimax Estate Builder and Equimax Wealth Accumulator policies issued under the new tax-exempt legislation (G3 tax status). If your client has a whole life policy with the option for EDO issued under the old tax-exempt legislation (G2 tax status) please contact Advisor Services for information on administration rules that will apply to their policy. For more information on functionality and administration of these products, please refer to the Equimax Admin Guide. This guide is available electronically from EquiNet®, Equitable Life’s advisor site on the Equimax product page at https://advisor.equitable.ca/advisorhome/insurance/products/equimax.asp In this document “client” refers to the policy owner or intended policy owner.

If you have questions about this information or any of Equitable Life’s individual life products please contact your local Regional Sales Manager.

EXCELERATOR DEPOSIT OPTION – FUNDAMENTAL FACT Under the provisions of the Income Tax Act (Canada), your client’s Equimax participating whole life policy must remain exempt from accrual taxation for the life of the policy. This means a maximum limit will apply on the amount of Excelerator Deposit Option payment they can make to their Equimax policy each year. Equitable Life

® will not allow scheduled or single Excelerator Deposit Option payments to exceed this maximum in

any policy year and will not accept an Excelerator Deposit Option payment that would cause the policy to become non-exempt. The Income Tax Act is subject to change and any changes may affect the taxation of both new and existing life insurance policies.

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Questions

1) What is the Excelerator Deposit Option? 3

2) What happens when my client makes an EDO payment to a policy? 4

3) Are there any restrictions on the availability of the EDO? 5

4) Are there any limits to the amount of the EDO payment? 5

5) Am I able to show my client an illustration with a scheduled EDO payment? 6

6) Is my client required to pay the scheduled EDO payment each year/month? 6

7) If my client has the paid-up additions dividend option, what happens to the death benefit and

cash value of the policy if they make an EDO payment?

6

8) If my client has the enhanced protection dividend option, what happens to the death benefit

and cash value of the policy if they make an EDO payment?

7

9) How can I show my client a projection of the values generated by PUAs? 7

10) Does my client need to submit additional medical requirements when they apply for Equimax

coverage if they also apply for EDO?

8

11) If my client does not apply for scheduled EDO payments when they apply for the Equimax

policy can they apply later?

8

12) Can my client increase the scheduled EDO payment in the future? 8

13) Can my client decrease the scheduled EDO payment in the future? 9

14) If my client has a scheduled EDO payment, can they stop it? 9

15) If my client skips scheduled EDO payments one year, can they carry missed payments

forward and make a payment in addition to the scheduled payments in the next year?

10

16) If my client changes the dividend option on their policy, can they make EDO payments? 10

17) If my client requests a decrease in the basic Equimax coverage, will this affect the amount of

EDO payment they can make?

10

18) If my client adds a Term rider to their Equimax plan, will this increase the maximum EDO

payment limit?

10

19) If my client has a 20 Pay plan, can they make EDO payments after it becomes paid-up? 11

20) If my client has missed a premium payment, can they make an EDO payment? 11

21) Can my client withdraw EDO payments in the future? 11

22) Can my client borrow against EDO payments in the future? 12

23) Do waiver of premium benefits cover EDO payments? 12

24) If my client requests to have their policy placed on premium offset, can they make EDO

payments?

12

25) If my client elects the reduced paid-up death benefit option, can they make EDO payments? 13

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Q #1: What is the Excelerator Deposit Option?

A The Excelerator Deposit Option (EDO) gives your client the option to make additional payments,

subject to specified limits and our current administrative rules and guidelines, above the required

guaranteed policy premium. EDO payments can help grow the long-term values in your client’s

policy.

The EDO payment is a separate payment from the premium payment required for the insurance

coverage. EDO is also an optional payment. Unlike the premium payment, EDO payments are not

required to keep the policy in effect. EDO payments are at the discretion of your client and can be

made if they have extra funds available.

The amount of insurance coverage your client purchases should be based on what they need and

what they can afford, however if they have discretionary money now or in the future, they can use

EDO to put extra money into the policy.

Question # 11 discusses how to make EDO payments after issue of the policy.

The ability to make an EDO payment is subject to administrative rules, tax-exempt status and

applicable tax legislation and underwriting approval.

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Q #2: What happens when my client makes an EDO payment to a policy?

A If your client is approved for EDO payments, the EDO payment is used to purchase participating

paid-up additional insurance (PUAs). This insurance is in addition to the PUAs purchased by policy

dividends1. Since the PUAs are participating, both the Equimax base coverage and the PUAs are

eligible to earn dividends1 each year, which further accelerates the growth within the policy. PUAs

also have cash value that grows on a tax-advantaged basis within the policy. Depending on the

dividend option selected by your client, the PUAs can also immediately increase the total death

benefit.

Your client can choose to make either:

1. Scheduled Payments

Scheduled EDO payments can be annual or monthly based on the policy premium

mode

When applied for when the policy is issued, scheduled EDO payments are included in

the annual premium billing notice or as part of the monthly pre-authorised debit (PAD)

for the policy and will have the same effective date as the Equimax policy.

Equitable Life will process any scheduled annual payments on the policy anniversary

and any scheduled monthly payments when they are received, subject to maintaining

the tax-exempt status.

2. Single Payment

Your client can request to make a single ad hoc EDO payment at any time.

Single payments are subject to administrative rules, tax-exempt status and

underwriting approval at the time of the request and processed when received.

Equitable Life will process any EDO payment received within one month of the policy

anniversary as an annual payment; otherwise the payment will be processed as a

monthly payment. Any scheduled monthly payments will be processed when they are

received. All payments are subject to maintaining the tax-exempt status.

A premium load of 8% applies to each EDO payment and a modal factor of 0.09 applies for monthly

PUA purchases. Monthly PUA purchases are those made with scheduled monthly EDO payments or

with EDO payments made at any time other than the policy anniversary. The rates used to buy

PUAs with EDO payments are the same rates as those used to buy PUAs with dividends. An

interpolated rate applies for PUA purchases made with EDO payments received other than at the

policy anniversary.

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Q #3: Are there any restrictions on the availability of the EDO?

A The EDO is available for Equimax Estate Builder or Equimax Wealth Accumulator plans for all ages

and for both Life Pay and 20 Pay premium options. However, EDO payments buy paid-up additional

insurance so your client must select the paid-up additions or enhanced protection dividend option.

There are also restrictions if your client receives a substandard rating when the policy is

underwritten. If your client receives a substandard rating of more than 200% or if your client receives

a flat extra rating per thousand of coverage, EDO is not available and the illustration system will not

allow you to quote EDO.

Q #4: Are there any limits to the amount of the EDO payment?

A Yes, there are both minimum and maximum limits with respect to the payment amount.

The following minimum payment amounts apply:

Scheduled payments - $100 annual pay or $10 monthly pay

Single payment - $100

There is a maximum EDO payment allowed each year. This limit is set to ensure the policy remains

exempt from accrual taxation over its lifetime under the current dividend scale. It is determined at

the time the policy is issued and is based on the issue age, sex and risk class of the life insured, as

well as the basic amount of coverage in effect, the plan type and the premium option chosen. The

maximum EDO payment may also be affected by changes made to the dividend scale and/or the

applicable policyholder tax exempt legislation (Income Tax Act Canada).

Equitable Life will not accept an EDO payment that causes the policy to lose its tax-exempt status. If

a policy loses its tax-exempt status, it becomes subject to accrual taxation for the remainder of the

life of the policy.

The illustration system will calculate the maximum EDO amount based on the illustration

assumptions you have entered for your client. No exceptions will be made to allow EDO payments in

excess of this maximum.

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Q #5: Am I able to show my client an illustration with a scheduled EDO payment?

A Yes, you can show a scheduled EDO payment by choosing Scheduled as the Deposit Input Type on

the Excelerator Deposit Option tab.

The illustration system will calculate the maximum EDO amount based on the illustration

assumptions you have entered for your client.

Q #6: Is my client required to pay the scheduled EDO payment each year/month?

A No, all EDO payments are optional and not required to keep your client’s policy in effect. However, if

your client is approved for scheduled annual or monthly EDO payments and no payment is received

within 24 months of the scheduled due date, EDO will be stopped.

If EDO stops because of missed payments, your client can request to reinstate the scheduled

payment by completing Form 374 – Application for Change and submitting the required evidence of

insurability.

If your client applies to have scheduled EDO payment reinstated, the effective date of the EDO

payment will be the date Equitable Life receives the first payment after approval of the application.

Q #7: If my client has the paid-up additions dividend option, what happens to the death benefit

and cash value of the policy if they make an EDO payment?

A The payment buys paid-up additional insurance (PUAs) which will increase both the cash value and

the permanent insurance coverage. The total death benefit and total cash value will increase right

away.

ILLUSTRATION TIP: Use Custom in the EDO tab to illustrate a series of sporadic single deposits over the life of the policy, or to show the impact on projected values of skipped scheduled deposits.

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Q #8: If my client has the enhanced protection dividend option, what happens to the death

benefit and cash value of the policy if they make an EDO payment?

A The payment buys paid-up additional insurance (PUAs), which will increase both the cash value and

the permanent insurance coverage. The total cash value will increase right away, however the total

death benefit at the policy anniversary will not initially increase, as the PUAs are first used to replace

the one-year term insurance. With EDO also buying PUAs, the one-year term insurance is replaced

more quickly than by dividends1 alone. This means the dividend conversion point (the point where

all the one-year term insurance has been replaced with PUAs) will occur sooner. Once PUAs

replace all the one-year term insurance, the total death benefit will start to increase.

If the policy has scheduled monthly EDO payments, PUAs are purchased each month, but there is

no monthly adjustment to the one-year term insurance. It will be adjusted at the policy anniversary

when any potential dividends1 are also allotted. Therefore, since the total death benefit will include

the PUAs purchased by the monthly EDO payments it will be higher throughout the policy year until

all the PUAs are applied and the one-year term insurance is re-adjusted.

Q #9: How can I show my client a projection of the values generated by PUAs?

A When you run an Equimax illustration there are two optional reports you can choose in Report

Design: Cash Value Report and Death Benefit Report.

By selecting these reports, you will be able to show the client the projected cash value generated by

PUAs and the projected death benefit of the PUAs. These projected values include all the PUAs

purchased with both EDO as well as dividends1. The projected values are as of the end of each

policy year.

ILLUSTRATION TIP: If you are running an illustration with the enhanced protection dividend option, the optional Death Benefit Report will also show you the projected amount of one-year term insurance purchased at each policy anniversary for the enhanced portion of the total coverage. Run the illustration with and without EDO payments to see how EDO can accelerate the replacement of one-year term insurance.

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Q #10: Does my client need to submit additional medical requirements when they apply for

Equimax coverage if they also apply for EDO?

A No, if your client applies for EDO at the same time they apply for Equimax coverage it will not

increase the medical requirements beyond those required for the insurance coverage.

Q #11: If my client does not apply for scheduled EDO payments when they apply for the

Equimax policy, can they apply later?

A Yes, your client can apply for both scheduled EDO payments and single EDO payments after the issue of their Equimax policy by completing Form 374 – Application for Change.

Additional evidence of insurability may be required depending on when Equitable Life receives the

application, or if a substandard rating applies to the Equimax policy.

If your client requests to add scheduled EDO payments or make a single payment within 12

months of the effective date of the Equimax policy, no additional evidence of insurability is

required.

If your client requests to add scheduled EDO payments or make a single payment after the first

policy anniversary, additional evidence of insurability will be required and approval will be

subject to underwriting.

If the policy has a substandard rating in effect and Equitable Life receives an application to add

the EDO after issue, additional evidence of insurability will be required and the request will be

subject to Head Office approval as well as underwriting approval.

Approval is subject to Equitable Life’s administrative rules and underwriting criteria in effect at the

time Equitable Life receives the application. The EDO payment will be limited to the maximum EDO

payment amount permitted for the policy. That amount is based on the amount that would apply at

the effective date of the policy as well as the tax-exempt status of the policy and the applicable tax

legislation in effect at the time the addition is requested. (See Questions #4 for more information on

EDO payment limits)

The effective date of the scheduled EDO payments will be the date the first EDO payment is received following approval of the application.

Q #12: Can my client increase the scheduled EDO payment in the future?

A Yes, if your client is paying less than the maximum EDO amount, they can increase the scheduled

EDO payment amount in the future, subject to administrative rules and applicable tax legislation,

provided it does not cause the policy to lose its tax-exempt status. However depending on when the

request is made, additional evidence of insurability may be required and the payment will be limited

to the maximum permitted for the policy. (See Question #11 for details.)

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Q #13: Can my client decrease the scheduled EDO payment in the future?

A Yes, your client can decrease the scheduled EDO payment at any time. The new payment amount

must meet the minimum payment requirement.

Decreasing the amount of the payment may affect future EDO payment amounts your client can

make without having to submit additional evidence of insurability. Future EDO payments will be

limited to the highest EDO payment received in the previous 3 years.

Q #14: If my client has a scheduled EDO payment, can they stop it?

A Yes, your client can stop scheduled EDO payments at any time. However, if your client wants to

resume payments, additional evidence of insurability may be required. Your client must complete

Form 374 – Application for Change to reinstate (restart) scheduled payments.

If Equitable Life receives the application to restart scheduled EDO payments within 24 months of

the date that the last EDO payment was made, no additional evidence of insurability is required.

If Equitable Life receives the application to restart scheduled EDO payments after 24 months of

the date the last EDO payment was made, evidence of insurability will be required.

The maximum EDO payment amount permitted once payments resume will be limited to the amount

that would apply at the effective date of the policy or to the maximum payment received in the

previous 3 years if that amount is less, and subject to maintaining the tax-exempt status of the

policy, our administrative rules and the applicable tax legislation. (See Question #13 for more

details.)

EXAMPLE: Assume Equitable Life approves your client for a scheduled EDO payment amount of $2,500 per year at the time the policy is issued.

An EDO payment of $2,500 is paid by your client in year 1

In years 2, 3, and 4, your client decreases the EDO payment to $1,000 in each year.

The maximum EDO payment amount your client can now make in year 5 would be $1,000.

$1,000 is the highest EDO payment received in the previous 3 years. If your client wants to return to an EDO payment of $2,500 per year, additional evidence of insurability would be required, even though your client was originally approved for $2,500 at the time of issue of the policy.

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Q #15: If my client skips scheduled EDO payments one year, can they carry missed payments

forward and make a payment in addition to the scheduled payments in the next year?

A In any given policy year, the maximum EDO payment amount is limited to the maximum that is

determined at the date of issue of the policy. Each policy year, your client can make an EDO

payment up to this maximum amount, provided the payment does not cause the policy to lose its

tax-exempt status.

If, in any given year, your client has paid the maximum, no further payments can be made, even

if there were no EDO payments the previous year.

If your client is paying less than the maximum EDO payment, they cannot carry-forward any

“unused amounts”. However, they can increase their EDO payment up to the maximum

permitted; provided the payment does not cause the policy to lose its tax-exempt status.

Increases in the EDO payment amount may be subject to additional evidence of insurability (See

Question #12 for details.)

Q #16: If my client changes the dividend option on their policy, can they make EDO payments?

A It will depend on what dividend option your client chooses. Since EDO payments buy paid-up

additional insurance, the dividend option must be paid-up additions or enhanced protection.

EDO is not available if your client chooses to have their dividend paid out in cash, to reduce the

premium payment or to accumulate on deposit. If your client requests a change to one of these

dividend options, EDO will no longer be available.

To change the dividend option after issue of the policy, you will need to complete Form 558 –

Request for Withdrawal of Dividends, Change in Option, or Premium Offset. Changing the dividend

option after issue may have tax consequences for your client. More information is available in the

Equimax Admin Guide on the Equimax product page of EquiNet.

Q #17: If my client requests a decrease in the basic Equimax coverage, will this affect the

amount of EDO payment they can make?

A Yes. The maximum amount of EDO is recalculated as of the effective date of the policy based on

the reduced coverage amount and applicable limits. (See Question #4 for details.)

It is important to note that reductions in coverage can also have tax consequences for your client.

Q #18: If my client adds a Term rider to their Equimax plan, will this increase the maximum EDO

payment limit?

A No, while adding a Term rider to their Equimax plan is a great way to provide your client with

temporary insurance coverage, or to lock in future insurability at an affordable cost, it will not result

in an increase in the maximum EDO payment amount permitted. The maximum limit for EDO is

based on the amount of basic Equimax coverage and applicable limits. (See Question #4 for

details.)

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Q #19: If my client has a 20 Pay plan, can they make EDO deposits after it becomes paid-up?

A Yes, however these payments must be annual or ad hoc payments at the discretion of your client.

Payments are subject to the income tax regulations affecting the tax-exempt status of the policy, as

well as administrative and underwriting rules and guidelines in effect at the time.

When the plan becomes paid-up, scheduled EDO payments will stop as they are tied to premium

billing. And since premiums are no longer required starting at the 21st policy anniversary, scheduled

EDO payments would also stop.

Q #20: If my client has missed a premium payment, can they make an EDO payment?

A Yes, but Equitable Life will first use any EDO payment amount to pay any unpaid premiums. Any

excess will then be applied, if possible, as an EDO payment.

Q #21: Can my client withdraw EDO payments in the future?

A EDO payments are used to buy paid-up additional insurance (PUAs) which generates cash value

and adds to the non-guaranteed cash value of the policy. PUAs, whether purchased with dividends

or EDO payments, can be surrendered to provide a cash withdrawal from the policy.

Withdrawals from an exempt policy are partial dispositions of the policy and subject to taxation. The

value of the withdrawal comes from a partial surrender of the base coverage and/or PUAs and is

subject to proportional taxation. Based on policy values before the withdrawal, the excess of the

policy’s cash surrender value (CSV) over the adjusted cost base (ACB) provides an estimate of

income subject to taxation on full surrender. If a fraction of the CSV is withdrawn, the same fraction

of income is reported.

If the client immediately uses the withdrawal to pay premiums and or repay a policy loan previously

used to pay a premium on the same policy, it is not taxable income. Any amount withdrawn that

exceeds the premium or policy premium loan repayment will be subject to proportional taxation. If

the client uses the withdrawal to repay a previous policy loan taken in cash, the withdrawal amount

will be subject to proportional taxation.

If your client has the enhanced protection dividend option and the policy is in the enhancement

guarantee period, surrendering PUAs for a cash withdrawal will void the enhancement guarantee.

ILLUSTRATION TIP: Use the Custom option on the EDO tab to illustrate EDO payments into a 20 Pay plan after the 20th policy anniversary when scheduled payments would stop.

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Q #22: Can my client borrow against EDO payments in the future?

A EDO payments are used to buy paid-up additional insurance (PUAs) which generates cash value

and adds to the non-guaranteed cash value of the policy. The cash value of the PUAs, whether

purchased with dividends or EDO payments, is available as collateral for a policy loan.

Loans received as cash against a tax-exempt policy, whether against the guaranteed cash value or

the PUAs are considered partial dispositions of the policy. Policy loans are made against the policy’s

cash surrender value and are subject to excess taxation. The amount by which the loan exceeds the

adjusted cost base (ACB) is an estimate of the taxable income due to the loan.

If the loan is used to immediately pay premiums on the same policy, it is not considered to be a

partial disposition of the policy and taxable income is not created. Any loan amount that exceeds the

premium may be subject to taxation.

Q #23: Do waiver of premium benefits cover EDO payments?

A No, only the premiums that are payable for the policy are covered by the waiver of premium benefit.

When a policy goes on waiver, scheduled monthly EDO payments stop, as they are based on the

billing status, which will be changed to “waived”. However, your client can continue to make EDO

payments on an annual or ad hoc basis while a waiver of premium claim is in effect.

Scheduled payments can resume once the policy is no longer on waiver and would not require

additional evidence of insurability provided the amount has not increased and EDO payments were

not stopped and restarted outside the permitted 24 months.

If however, your client requests to stop EDO payments while the policy is on waiver, payments

cannot resume unless the policy is no longer on waiver and would be subject to underwriting

approval.

Q #24: If my client requests to have their policy placed on premium offset, can they make EDO

payments?

A Typically, requests to determine if a policy can qualify for premium offset status are made because a

client is no longer interested in making out-of-pocket premium payments. Instead, they are

interested in having premiums for the policy paid by future dividends and non-guaranteed cash

value within the policy.

If your client’s policy qualifies for premium offset, any scheduled EDO payments would stop. If your

client wants to make a single EDO payment in the future, they can submit an application to do so;

however, approval will be subject to administrative rules, tax-exempt status, applicable tax

legislation and underwriting approval.

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Q #25: If my client elects the reduced paid-up death benefit option, can they make EDO

payments?

A Typically, requests to elect the reduced paid-up (RPU) death benefit option are made because a

client is no longer interested in making out-of-pocket premium payments, or can no longer afford to

make the needed premium payments for the full amount of coverage.

If your client elects the RPU option, any scheduled EDO payments would stop. Because there are

no longer premiums being paid on the policy, single EDO payments cannot be processed.

Electing RPU may make a policy lose its tax-exempt status and become subject to accrual taxation

immediately or in the future.

Notes:

1 Dividends are not guaranteed. They are subject to change, and will vary based on the actual investment returns in the participating account as well as mortality, expenses, lapse, claims experience, taxes and other experience of the participating block of policies. While Equitable Life has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information presented here, the policy contract governs in all cases. ® denotes a trademark of The Equitable Life Insurance Company of Canada